Improvement in permutation-padlocks



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLIN A. LEE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LUOIUS T. TALBOT, OF SAMEPLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PERMUTAT lON-PADLOCKS.

Specifi ation formirg part of Letters Patent No. 148,471, datul Marc-h10, 1874 application filed January 3, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoLLrN A. LEE, of Cleveland, in the county ofOuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented an ImprovedPermutation-Padlock, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to that class of padlocks in which the bolt issecured by a tumbler engaging with disks which are set in a givenposition, determined by a certain combination of numbers. The inventionconsists of a permutation-lock mechanism, more especially adapted topadlocks composed of a combined tumbler and dogs, notched countingwheelsor disks, having spring shifting-plates, a bolt and spring-seattherefor, and a retaining-plate, slide, and pivot, combined, arranged,and operating as hereinafter more fully, set forth and claimed.

To enable others to fully understand my invention, I will proceed todescribe the same in detail, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

Figure 1 is the obverse, and Fig. 2 is the reverse, side of my improvedlock. Fig. 3 is a view of the interior of the lock, the outside platebeing removed. Fig. 4 is a similar view with the shifting slide andplate removed, exposing the counting-wheels or disks, and theshifting-plate for operating said disks. Fig. 5 is a detached sectionalview of one of the disks, showing the relation of the shiftingplatetherewith.

The lock-case A may be made in the form shown, or of any other suitableconstruction. The bolt B is made in the form of a letter T, pivoted tothe back plate of the lock, and has an arm, 1), extending to the left,and engages with a bent spring, I), secured to the side of the lock, theobject of which is to hold the bolt steadily in place, and preventrattling and consequent wear of the point of said bolt where it comes incontact with the tumbler O. The tumbler G is pivoted at the center ofthe lock, and has three arms or projections, c c 0 which en gage withthe notched disks or countin g-wheels D E F, which also constitutes thetumbler a counting pawl or dog, the top end of said tumbler engagingwith the bolt B. The

said projections 0, c and c are designed to enter deep notches d e f inthe said disks, by which the tumbler is moved aside, and allows the boltto move out of the catch-hook g of the shackle-bow G. A spring, H, isplaced by the side of the tumbler O, for keeping the projections c c cin contact with the disks but it does not force them into the deepnotches, a pin, I, placed by the side of the spring limiting its play.The disks or counting-wheels are placed loosely 011 short spindles orarbors set in the bottom plate, which have thumbnuts J J J attached andlying on the outside of the lock for turning them. To the arbors aresecured spring shitting-plates K K K, havinga lug on the side next thedisks, which engage with serrations or corrugations in the faces of thesaid disks, the said corrugations radiating from their'centers. In thedrawing, holes are shown in the disks, these being more convenient tomake. Above the disks and shifting-plates is placed a plate, L, and overwhich is placed a shiftingslide, M, consisting of an open frame,embracing the large pivot N, which passes through the tumbler, and isscrewed into the back plate of the lock. The said pivot N has a broadhead, under which the slide M plays, the slide having two inclined lugs,o 0, on its upper side, .which are designed, when the slide is pushedin, to hold the plate L down onto the shifting plates K K K, and keepthem in contact with the disks, so that the disks may be turned with thearbors. The slide M has an arm, m, reaching up to the opening where theshackle-bow enters the look. This is for the purpose of drawing theslide outward, so as to release the pressure of the plate L on theshifting-plates K K K, which, by turnin g the th urnb-nuts J, enablesthem to be sprun g up, withdrawing their wedge shaped lugs from thecorrugations in the disks. In this manner the combinations of numbersare changed, which when the change is made, the slide being again pushedin, the plate L bears on the plates K K K, and the lock is ready to beoperated on the new combination. On the side of the lock, and abovethe'thumb-nuts J, is secured a plate, It, set in an inclined posi tion,and is designed for a weather-shield, as,

this being the side of the lock which. lies against the door or house,the lowest end of the lock is held off by the said plate R, and causeswater to run 0H from the lock onto the door, and run down away from it.When the disks are in position shown in Fig. 4, the bolt is locked oncombination 771. Now, in order to unlock it, the disks must all beturned to the right, until the points of the plates K K K rest againstthe projections or springs 7c 011 the lock-case, when, the disks nowbeing turned to the left, and counting the clicks which the tumbler-dogsmake in riding over the notches of the said disks, counting seven forthe disk (1), seven for the disk E, and one for the disk F, the deepnotches (l e f are brought next to the projections c c c; (the saidprojections do not, however. drop into the said deep notches.) Theshackle-bow can now be withdrawn, the said projections being pushed intosaid deep notches by the tilting .of the bolt ,which pushes against thetumbler, which can now be moved aside. It will be observed that there isno diflerence in the sound of the clicks on the disks between theshallow notches and the deep ones, so that the deep ones are notbetrayed by sound.

In order to change the combination of numbers, the lock must beunlocked, and, the projections c 0 a resting in the deep notches, whichhold the disks from being turned, then the arm m of the slide M is drawnoutward, relieving the pressure of the plate L on the plates K K K whichwill now allow the said plates K K K, to be turned, and thus changetheir position in their relation to the disks;

and the plate L again pressed down, by pushing in the slide M, the lockis ready to operate on new combination.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a permutation-lock, thetumbler 0, constructed with projections 0 0 0 combined with the bolt Band disks D E F, the operation of which is controlled by spring II andpin I, in such manner as to hold the tumbler projections out of thenotches (l e f in the disks, and thus prevent the detection of thecombination and opening of the lock, substantially as described.

2. In a permutation-lock, the notched disks or counting-wheels D E F,arranged to operate independently of one another, and combined withspring shifting-plates K, having wedgeshaped lugs or projections ontheir under sides, operating in notches in the face of said disks, forthe purpose of providing a starting-point for counting and setting thecombination, substantially as described.

3. In a permutation-lock, the notched disks and shifting-plates, incombination with a holding-plate, L, slide M. and pivot N, as and forthe purpose specified.

ROLLIN A. LEE.

\Vitnesses:

Gno. H. TIBBIITS, L. T. TALBOT.

